Georgia turns a 7-0 hole into a 13-12 win over Mississippi State in Super Regional opener

Georgia needed a big response after Mississippi State jumped out to a 7-0 lead, and it got one in the loudest possible way. In Game 1 of the NCAA Athens Super Regional on Saturday, the Bulldogs rallied from the early deficit to beat the Bulldogs 13-12 at a sold-out Foley Field and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

The opening minutes made Georgia’s task look steep. Mississippi State scored six runs in the top of the second inning, including a three-run homer from Reed Stallman, and then added another run in the fourth to build its cushion. Georgia did not run out of at-bats, but the margin forced a team that had been cruising offensively in earlier rounds to fight for every inch of progress.

To make the comeback even more impressive, Georgia started the game without one of its central offensive pieces. Tre Phelps was unavailable for the Super Regional opener after being ejected following a go-ahead home run during Georgia’s regional round against Liberty, a suspension that changed the lineup for Game 1 against Mississippi State. In a high-leverage setting, Georgia answered with a replacement role that produced exactly the kind of swing the series demanded.

Michael O’Shaughnessy carried the load once Georgia’s bats started clicking. He delivered a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to help Georgia take the lead, then came back later with a three-run blast in the bottom of the eighth to flip the game at a moment when Mississippi State had moments of momentum. Georgia’s approach during the rally was simple and relentless, keep the swing counts alive, punish mistakes, and trust the at-bats to keep stacking.

On the mound, Joey Volchko gave Georgia a start it could build on, working five innings with six strikeouts as the game shifted from a deficit to a slugfest. Grant Edwards came on in relief and was credited with the win, while Justin Byrd finished the ninth to secure the save. The storyline for both teams was power, but the finishing job still mattered: Georgia’s bullpen made the final plays after the offense regained the lead.

The national impact is hard to ignore. The NCAA’s live updates noted this was the first time in the last three NCAA tournaments that a team overcame a deficit of seven or more runs to win, a rare comeback profile in postseason baseball. The box score told the rest of the story, 11 combined home runs, with Georgia launching five and Mississippi State six, meaning Game 2 is likely to come down to more than raw firepower. Georgia’s next game is Sunday at noon on ESPN, and the series now has a clear set of stakes: one more win gets Georgia to Omaha, while Mississippi State needs to reclaim and then win the deciding game.